The meaning of public opinion: citizens' constructions of political reality

Uses and perceptions of forests by people living in urban areas — findings from selected empirical studies

“…They indicate that the term or concept 'public opinion' is discussed controversially in the literature (BERGMANN 1994;CHAMPAGNE 1991;HERBST 1993;HERBST 1995;LANG AND LANG 1983;RUBENSTEIN 1995;VERBA 1996).…”

Refuse treatment options: a case study

“…The survey relied on invitations to avoid residents being apprehensive because MCC was responsible for refuse handling not residents. The visits also helped to overcome some of the shortcomings of questionnaires and interviews (Bulck, 1993;Herbst, 1993). The impact individual household composting had on the general garbage production was not part of the study.…”

The Mundane Experience of Political Culture

“…However, as Susan Herbst cleverly pointed out, people using mundane political culture see public opinion not as "the voice of the people" but as a form of manipulation engineered by political leaders. As Herbst (1993) reported in her study of how average citizens ordinaril y conceive of public opinion, "Polls were, in many respects, oppressive to these individual s: the quantitative data polls provide make certain public discussions irrelevant or extremely difficult to stimulate" (p. 450). Indeed, Herbst's respondents constantly complained that polls deliberately misrepresent public opinion.…”